This invention relates to an adjustable gas spring shock absorber, a control device for such a shock absorber, and to a control device for a fluid mechanism including a fluid spring.
In the art of shock absorbers, certain adjustable gas spring shock absorbers for automotive use are well known. A representative sample of these shock absorbers includes a pressurizable chamber for air or the like. The position of the upper mount of the shock absorber, and thereby the attached components of the automobile chassis, are determined in part by the pressure of the gas within the chamber. As often preferred, an automotive shock absorber of the type described is adjusted by an automobile owner, through the use of compressed air, to accomodate varying loads in the automobile.
Wholly unrelated to shock absorbers and control devices for fluid mechanisms, but well known to science, is the phenomenon of gas adsorption. Certain gases, called adsorbates, interact to significant extent with certain matter in such a way that a thin layer of molecules of an adsorbate may adhere to the surface of a solid or liquid absorbent with which the adsorbate is in contact. The strength of the adsorbency is determined by the type of adsorbate, the type of adsorbent, pressure of the adsorbate and the temperature of the adsorbent and adsorbate. Adsorbency increases with decreasing temperature and with increasing pressure.